Page 90 of Savage Little Lies

The word “weak” lights a fire within me that I can’t put out. Anger courses through me. I step forward and drive my fist into Emil’s jaw.

He grunts in pain as his head snaps to the side. He stumbles, his arms flailing to try to regain his balance.

“Whoa!” Isaak says, moving to position himself between me and Emil as he wipes the blood off the corner of his mouth. “Don’t do this, boss!”

“I told you to shut your damn mouth!” I snap at Emil as I jab my finger toward him. “I don’t trust blindly. This is either the work of the Suyunovs or the Irish, and once we figure out who, we’re going to send a message of our own.”

Emil places his hand against his cheek, spitting out blood. He glares at me, but he doesn’t say anything. I’ve made my point.

“Sir, we just…” Mark starts to speak.

I shake my head, a silent warning for him to shut up before he pisses me off even more. “I’ve given my life to this family. You don’t get to criticize my decisions. You do as you’re told.”

My men quietly nod, some of them avoiding my hard stare.

I don’t usually lash out at my own family. Not physically. But they’ve pushed me to my damn breaking point.

Everything has.

“The rest of you, get this mess cleaned up!” I bark at them before storming back to my car, not wanting to look at any of them.

They questioned me. Doubted me.

That’s new.

And they’re wrong about Cara. They have to be.

But deep down, I know that I need to verify what she’s told me.

As I drive back home, a plan unfolds in my mind, one that makes my stomach knot. I don’t want to do it, but it has to be done since I’m not going to tie her up and question her.

I’ll know the truth soon enough.

Once I return to my apartment, I grab my phone and open my messages with Cara, my heart pounding.

Won’t be at work Friday. Meeting at Legacy at noon with local bosses. Take the day off if you want.

I need Cara to be who she says she is.

For her sake, she better be.

34

Cara

Ivywood Inn. Room 312. 3 p.m.

I read the text again as I stand outside of the slightly sketchy hotel that I was asked to go to. I already knew the message was from my father or his men. The unknown number wasn’t subtle.

I can only assume that he wants to talk face-to-face about Dmitri’s decision to kill the marriage because I haven’t been picking up my phone lately. The thought of seeing him after what he did to Gabe makes me nauseous, and as I stand out here, all I want to do is run in the opposite direction.

I doubt I’ll be congratulated, but I have to go. It’s not time for me to leave yet. I don’t think that I could with Dmitri’s guards on me. I pretended to go shopping in a cosmetic store a few blocks away, then slipped out the back. I propped the door open so I can hopefully return the same way. Men have no idea how long women spend in cosmetic stores.

Besides, even if I weren’t being followed, I wouldn’t want to leave Dmitri while he’s in such a bad spot.

I can’t even believe that’s where my mind is. I shouldn’t care about him. But I do.

I never deserved Dmitri’s trust, but he still gave it to me.